Accommodation summary

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Ověřeno společností Wimdu

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We are offering a wlole flat near Galata Tower, for the groups of 8 person. 4 Comfortable lockable rooms in the quiet street and in the heart of historical neighbourhood of Galata on the European side of Istanbul.
One big bedroom out of 4 has a sitting area.
Conveniently situated near the Metro and Tram stations.
5 minutes walking distance from the most lively street of Istanbul, Istiklal Ave. wich is full of bars, restaurants, cafes, concert venues, art galleries and shops.
10 minutes wlking distance down the hill is The Bosphorus, Galata bridge, Eminönü spice pazaar, Egiptian market. Also walking distance from the Old Town, Haghia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, Blue mosque etc.
Hot water 24/7
Wireless internet
Linen/towels
2 bathroom/toilets.
A kitchen cabinet on the terrace for making tea, coffee (not for cooking)
The building has an open furnished terrace with The Bosphorus view. (NOT PRIVATE)
Please note that the flat is on the 3rd floor without the elevator.

Domovní řád

From travelers we require 50 Euros of security deposit in case there is some damage to the place like lost keys, broken window etc. but the money is of course given back at the leaving if there are no such occurences.
Please be advised that making noice as well as inviting friends from outside for a visit/stay (that is, individuals who are not staying in the same establishment ) is unacceptable.

My friend Martin and I stayed in the apartment for about 12 nights during summertime. Our room was nice and clean, with enough room to put our clothes in a closet. The view from our window was great, we looked across the bosporus. Kitchen and bathroom are shared, the bathroom could have been a bit cleaner but it was still fine. In the kitchen there was some stuff missing, like pots and dishes, which made it a bit difficult to cook, but besides of this it had all we needed. The apartment is in one of the oldest buildings in Istanbul, don't be scared, it gives a very special touch to your stay :) Across our building on top of the other house there was the wonderful rooftop terrace on which you can get homemade breakfast under a big umbrella with a phantastic view across Istanbul city and the bosporus. You are also allowed to use it for having barbecues, etc. Walking distance to the downtown areas is about 15 minutes, so the apartment was a great starting point to discover the city or to head down to the ferry boats. Our hosts Anouk and Tamuna have been very nice and welcoming. It's not the best place to stay if you expect super clean and white facilities, but if you're an open minded explorer looking for a nice and special ambiente in the heart of the town, this is the place to be!!!
I would definatley recommend it!
Thx to the whole crew!

The property was on the third floor with access through a shared entrance hall. The shared entrance hall was in a very poor state of repair to the point of appearing derelict. The first floor housed two separate advertising companies set on either side of a set of broken windows. The smell of glue and chemicals from these companies dominated the building. There was another company of the same kind on another floor. We hired this flat for 9 people, as advertised, but there was no living room and therefore unsuitable for a family renting out the entire apartment for a family reunion. The “kitchen” was not a room with cooking facilities but a recess in a wall with a small hand-basin and a small cupboard. At the other end of the corridor there was a fridge, a kettle, a microwave and a single tabletop ring. It would not have been possible to cook a meal. Even if it had been possible to cook there was no dining table or other communal space. We would have had to eat in our beprovision of dishes was inadequate and we would have had to eat in our bedrooms. The sheets on the beds were too small and they were unable to tuck the sheets in - the sheets had to be simply laid onto the mattress so that during the night the sheet would ruck up to expose the bare mattress. Apart from a single point the views from the apartment were of nearby derelict buildings. One of the bedrooms contained the combi gas boiler. Eventually we were moved to another flat on the same road. The second flat was a 4 bedroom apartment (3 doubles and 1 single, i.e. 7 persons) and this was offered as an alternative to the 9 person apartment we had originally booked and paid for. No refunds were offered. There was a kitchen with 4 gas rings and a living room with good view. The apartment is classed as “family friendly” on the Windmu website.
The problems with it are as follows: The hallway was derelict – the window panes were missing from the windows on the first floor, at second floor level, some of the banister rails were missing, leaving a hole into the stairwell, easily large enough for a child to fall down.
There were rats in the building – at night we heard the sound of scurrying and wood being gnawed. The bathroom cabinet was simply a jumble of odd bits of wood and chipboard with at least one shelf missing.
The kitchen door was off its hinges and was simply propped up against the wall.
The kitchen equipment consisted of one small saucepan and a larger saucepan (with no lid), 10 odd plates and 10 glass tumblers. There were only 2 desert spoons and 2 plastic bowls which were so cracked that they did not hold liquids. There were no mugs or teacups so we had to drink our tea from pint glasses and whiskey tumblers. Some of the furniture was in a state of disrepair with handles missing or broken, or holes in the soft furnishings.
The table in the kitchen seated 3-4 people and therefore breakfast and any other meals that we wished to eat in the apartment, had to be eaten on our laps in the living room, around the coffee table.
Toilet roll holder broken and continually falling off the wall.
The truth is that i had organised this holiday for a family reunion but the accommodation was an embarrassment.
The description states that the flat had been restored traditionally by artisans, but the overall finish was not good. The original features (e.g. painted ceilings) were overwhelmed by the unprofessionally fitted kitchen cabinets, the electrics and bathroom.
Whilst the location of both flats was superb, the quality of the flats themselves are awful. They are more suitable for back-packers at say for £7-10 per room per night – they are certainly not suitable for families.

We had a great stay! tamuna and the other guys are very hospitable hosts and told us everything we needed to know about istanbul!!
the apartment is located perfectly in the center in a very old house. the apartment is beautifully restaurated with a terrace on the roof from which you can overlook the ciy in the morning or in the night - for us it was perfect!

Terrible!!! First experience wih Wimdu!! A disgusting apartment for 5 people. Tamuna was very nice and the location of the apartment was the only plus...hence the one star recommendation!! Firstly around the apartment (on ground floor) was a disgrace, rubbish and rotting food thrown everwhere. Then inside the house stairwell smelt like a pony had died downstairs in the corner some time ago (rotting dampness)!! Inside the apartment....the 3 seperate bedrooms were OK, however its not OK to make the beds up with just a sheet on the mattress!! A mattress type protector is the minimum one can expect between the mattress and the sheet...whatever happened to hygiene?? There was only one proper bed the other two were made up from sofas and this should be stipulated in the info for this apartment. Paint peeling off wall. Hole in wall covered with brown packing tape. Very old dirty chairs in 2nd bedroom. TV did not work. 3rd bedroom was like the size of a cupboard. The bathroom had mould on the floor and in the shower recess, the shower recess door on one side almost falling off. The hand basin was dripping all the time. Had to put a bucket under it. The lightswitch was partl broken off, dirty and needed replacing. Do not touch the heater on the wall its rusting and falling apart! Dirty mop and bucket left in the corner between the basin and the shower did not make one feel any better about anything!! Kitchen was un-usable!! The bench was bent, cracked and full of mould!! The kitchen was not clean, dirty kitchen cloths had been left there. The sink had not been cleaned. One look in the hot water kettle...black hair inside....forget it. The fridge was OK. The light switch was totally dirty. The cupboards and drawers were untidy and no-one had cleaned there before we came!! Also the kitchen fan was fatty and dirty. Between the bedroom and entry room the laminate strip to seal off the floor was not fixed and could have caused an accident. We booked Wimdu thinking we were getting good value private accommodation, what we received was a grotty apartment where we could only sleep and wash ourselves quickly trying not to look at the state of the bathroom. Basic is OK, but theres no excuse for the lack of hygiene and lack of pride in what these private people are offering. It can make or break an experience. Istanbul is an awesome city but the state of this apartment really took the shine off our experience. We would highly recommend this area to stay in but not this apartment in its current state!! If Wimdu doesnt get any better than this we certainly wont be using it anymore, next try is Paris in 2 weeks time.

The Galata Guesthouse is strategically located near Galata Tower, so 5-minutes away from the old city, Sultanahmet, and the nightlife in Istiklal Caddesi. Don't be scared from the appearance of the building because the apartments and the rooms are wonderful! We really enjoyed our week in the Galata guesthouse: we changed three different rooms and they were all great (especially the room with the amazing view on the Bosforus, that we suggest to all couples who want to spend a romantic holiday in Istanbul). Tamuna is a nice girl and we appreciated her help. Don't miss the opportunity to stay in the galata guesthouse!